Enquiries about the state co-ordinated clean up program

Registrations for the Victorian Government’s clean-up program have closed. If you missed the registration or have questions for Emergency Management Victoria please call Ampara from EMV on 0428 478 549

The centre provides a contact point for the community and information about recovery services.

The bushfire recovery centre at Bunyip Recreation Reserve is no longer open.

Opening hours

Council staff will be at the hall from 10am to 3pm on weekdays.

Volunteers from local community groups will be at the centre from 9am to 5pm, 7 days a week for anyone who would like to drop in for a cuppa and a chat.

Organisations at the recovery centre

Staff from Windermere are at the recovery centre on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am to 1pm. (See further down this page for information on Windermere’s Bushfire Recovery Support Program).

Community groups regularly at the recovery centre include Lions Club, St Vincent de Paul and Red Cross. (Volunteers from Red Cross are at the recovery centre from 10am to 3pm, Monday to Friday).

Free lunch every day

Anyone in the fire-affected community can enjoy a free lunch (supplied by various groups and local businesses including Lions Club, St Vincent de Paul and St Itas Parishioners volunteers) at the recovery centre every day, anytime from 12.30pm to 1.30pm.

Pop up recovery centres

Council is hosting two pop-up recovery centres this week for people affected by the Bunyip Complex bushfires:

Friday 17 May, 3pm–6pm
Bunyip IGA (6 Main St, Bunyip)

Wednesday 15 May, 3pm–6pm, Garfield

Representatives from Grocon, Emergency Management Victoria (EMV), Windermere and Council will be at both pop ups.

The Grocon and EMV staff members can answer any questions you might have about the state co-ordinated clean-up program.

Newsletters and other recovery information will also be available.

Agriculture Victoria recovery workshop - Wed 22 May

Producers impacted by the fires are invited to an information session:

Wednesday 22 May 2019 9.30am to 12 noon Bunyip Hall, 38 Main Street, Bunyip Morning tea will be provided, as well as a light lunch following the session.

Community Recovery Committee

About the committee

If you are interested in helping to shape the direction of the recovery program for the bushfires, please consider submitting a form to express interest in joining the Community Recovery Committee.

The committee will play an important role in identifying the recovery priorities in the local community. It will support community wellbeing during recovery as well as advocate and advise Council and the Victorian Government on community needs and priorities.

Burning off

As the Fire Danger Period for Cardinia Shire has now ended, you may be able to burn off on your property. You may need a permit to do this, or you may be able to burn off without a permit depending on the size of your block.

Please note there are strict conditions you need to follow.

For more information go to the Burning off web page, call us on 1300 787 624, or ask a Council officer at the recovery centre (Mon to Fri, 10am to 3pm).

Emergency re-establishment assistance grants

If you live in the local government areas of Baw Baw, Cardinia Shire, Latrobe, South Gippsland and Wellington and your primary place of residence has been affected by the bushfires, you may be eligible for an emergency re-establishment assistance grant of up to $40,700 per eligible household.

Insurance claims

Contact your insurer as soon as you can

The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has declared a catastrophe for properties damaged or destroyed in the Bunyip State Park bushfires. Property owners affected by the bushfires should contact their insurers as soon as possible to lodge claims and seek assistance under their policies. The declaration means claims from affected policyholders will be given priority by insurers.

If your property has been damaged in the bushfires, the ICA advises you to contact your insurer as soon as possible for information on the claims process and what you are entitled to under your policy. ICA staff have been mobilised to work directly with local services and affected policyholders.

If you are unsure about your insurance details or have general inquiries about the claims process, contact the ICA's disaster hotline on 1800 734 621

Bushfire Recovery Support Program (Windermere)

This program is available to anyone who has experienced any of the following as a result of the bushfires:

Loss of your home

Significant mental trauma

Physical trauma

A loss of livelihood due to business loss.

If the above does not describe your situation, case managers and workers will consider each case on its merits. This program is available until at least March 2020.

Recovery support case workers will work with you to help you navigate the various support services that may be available to you. Support may include:

an initial brief chat about your needs and what next steps might be appropriate.

information on how to access local services for additional support.

advocacy for priority access if required for your circumstances.

assistance with completing applications and paperwork required for grant or financial claim processes with other organisations and government.

outreach visits by our staff with other services if this is helpful to your situation.

The service may be able to provide you with a small amount of brokerage support to respond to immediate financial need. Case support staff may also be able to direct you to more comprehensive grants and financial support.

This program is delivered by Windermere and jointly funded by the Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements and the Victorian Government.

Enquire

You can:

Speak to a Windermere representative at the recovery centre on Tuesday or Thursday between 10am and 1pm.

Call Windermere on 1800 560 760 between 9am to 5pm weekdays or leave a message and staff will return your call the following business day.

Insurance Council of Australia: Claims from affected policy holders will be given priority. More info: Insurance information

Rural Financial Counselling Service (RFCS): Free financial counselling to farmers and small related businesses who are in, or at risk of financial hardship. Call 1300 045 747 or visit the Rural Financial Counselling website

Looking after your mental health

You are going through a very stressful life event. Look out for others and if you need help, please ask for help.

Who to call for immediate assistance

Lifeline: 13 11 44

Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800

You can also:

Talk to a Red Cross representative: At the recovery centre from 10am to 3pm, Monday to Friday.

Talk to a Windermere representative: At the recovery centre on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11am to 1pm, or call Windermere on 1800 560 760 between 9am to 5pm weekdays or leave a message and staff will return your call the following business day. You can also email bushfirerecovery@windermere.org.au

To other organisations helping with fencing: BlazeAid have a list of properties needing fencing work done. All work done by other organisations is greatly appreciated, however BlazeAid ask that you contact them if your organisation is going to take care of fencing for a property so BlazeAid can remove the property from their list.

Assistance from DELWP

DELWP can:

Repair or make good damage to land or assets caused by firefighting operations: This includes repairs to fences cut or damaged by fire crews (CFA or FFMVic) or rehabilitation of dozer and grader control lines.

Repair bushfire damaged fences on the boundary of the Bunyip State Park: DELWP will meet 50% of the materials cost to replace or repair fences located between the Bunyip State Park and private land.

Other bushfire damaged property boundary and internal fences are not covered by this assistance.

Assistance from South East Water

South East Water is providing waivers and discounts on water bills for households impacted by the Bunyip bushfires. Each customer is assessed on a case-by-case basis.

South East Water has reached out to customers who we believe have been impacted, urging them to contact us so that we can discuss the support options available to them.

A discount applies where a customer has used a large amount of water to keep their property safe from the bushfires. In the sad event that a customer has lost their home, a full waiver will be given.

Enquiries: Call South East Water on 131 851 Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm

Waterway assistance from Melbourne Water

Melbourne Water is now assessing the impact of the Bunyip State Park bushfires on their waterways. As part of this process they are contacting their existing Stream Frontage Management Program (SFMP) and Rural Land Program (RLP) customers to get a better understanding of the damage and effect on the waterways from the bushfires.

Following the assessment, Melbourne Water will prioritise the assistance needed.

Assistance is available to:

repair and replace stream frontage fencing

install coir logs to assist with sediment/erosion control to protect the health of the waterways.

Request assistance

Melbourne Water are contacting existing SFMP and RLP customers from Monday 25 March but if you haven’t heard from them please contact 131 722

At this stage, Melbourne Water will only be assisting its existing SFMP customers. To see if you are eligible call 131 722.

Trees

Request to have eligible trees assessed by a Council-appointed arborist

Deadline: Friday 27 May, 5pm

You can appoint an arborist yourself, or you can request to have a Council-appointed arborist assess any burnt trees that you believe are a danger to life or property, in that they stop you being able to do essential things such as access your house or driveway.

You will need to make this request to Council by Friday 27 May, 5pm.

A tree IS considered a danger to life or property and will be assessed by Council if:

the tree or its limbs are at risk of falling on a house, falling on a road or driveway, or falling on a shed or outbuilding that is close to a house.

The following trees will not be assessed by Council and are the responsibility of the property owner:

Trees along a fence line that does not run alongside a road or driveway.

Trees that are some distance from the house or other buildings (such as in a paddock).

To let Council know (by Friday 27 May, 5pm) about trees that fit the assessment criteria, you can:

If the Council-appointed arborist confirms that a tree is a danger to life or property, a second Council-appointed arborist will be sent in to make the tree safe. Please note that this may not necessarily mean cutting the tree down – a tree might be made safe by removing branches.

If you are physically unable to remove the branches that have been cut by the arborist from your property yourself, you can request help by calling Council on 1300 787 624 or dropping into the recovery centre to speak to a Council staff member from Monday to Friday, 10am to 3pm.

Getting rid of large piles of trees and vegetation

Your options for disposal are as follows:

Hard and bundled green waste collection in week of 20 May – see info on this web page.

Local landfill sites – reduced fees being offered – see info on this web page.

Do a burn off – see info on this web page.

Hire a private contractor to remove the waste.

Fallen trees near house, fence or driveway

If you have trees that have fallen near your house, driveway or fences, you can request to have them cut up by the SES into smaller pieces. To ask for assistance, speak to the Council officers at the recovery centre or call our customer service centre on 1300 787 624.

Trees next to Council roads

All trees next to Council roads that were affected by the bushfires were first assessed by Forest Fire Management Victoria, and then by Council. The trees posing an imminent risk were either cut or knocked down to make them safe before the roads were opened.

Our contractors are now clearing up these fallen and burnt trees, starting with collector roads such as Tonimbuk Rd and Garfield North Road. We will then move on to work on the local roadsides. During this clean up, if we find other hazardous trees we will take action to reduce risk. This process is expected to finish around mid-May.

Removing hazardous trees

In accordance with state government legislation, if your property was impacted by the bushfires and you have burnt trees around your house that you believe could:

cause injury

damage property

you do not need a planning permit to make them safe. (This does not necessarily mean cutting them down altogether).

If the vegetation presents an immediate risk of personal injury or damage to property, only that part of the vegetation that presents a risk may be removed, destroyed or lopped.

Removing other vegetation

You can also remove the following without a permit (regardless of whether it presents an immediate risk):

Within a 10 metres radius around a house: All vegetation can be removed.

Within a radius of over 10 metres and up to 30 metres: Everything except for trees can be removed, if the house was constructed before 10 September 2009. If your property is in an area where a Bushfire Management Overlay (BMO) applies, a total of 50 metres can be cleared. Please note that most but not all properties affected by the bushfires are in a BMO area – to check go to Victorian Government's mapshare website and type in your address.

A combined maximum width of 4 metres of vegetation can be cleared on either side of an existing fence on a boundary between properties with different owners, provided the fence was constructed before 10 September 2009. This exemption does not apply if there is already 4 metres of cleared land on one side of the fence.

If you are not sure whether vegetation can be removed: Please call Council’s Statutory Planning team on 1300 787 624 before doing any works.

Land management advice available

Council’s Biodiversity Officer is available to answer your land management enquiries on topics including:

Damaged household bins

Damaged bins

Report damaged bins to us using this online form or calling us on 1300 787 624 and we will arrange replacements bins for you.

Skip bins for scrap metal

Bins to dispose of:

burned fencing wire

small pieces of tin ONLY

have been organised by the Lions Club and are available at these locations:

Tonimbuk Hall (the recovery centre location)

470 Ellis Road, Tonimbuk

1280 Gembrook-Tonimbuk Rd

295 Sanders Road, Tonimbuk

65 Garfield North Road, Garfield North

20 Mintern Rd, Tynong North

Taking waste to landfill (tips)

No landfill levy charged for bushfire waste

Residents from fire-affected areas who take bushfire waste directly to landfill sites will not have to pay the Victorian Government's landfill levy. The waiver covers bushfire waste only, and applies to the levy component of the gate price. The landfill levy is currently $64.30 per tonne of material deposited from metro premises and $31.71 per tonne of material deposited from rural premises.

Call ahead

Please call the landfill facility before attending to let them know the type of material you plan to bring, and to confirm you’re only bringing acceptable items.

Local landfill facilities

Cleanaway Pakenham is offering a 25% discount to bushfire-affected households in Cardinia Shire, in addition to the landfill levy discount. Both amounts will be calculated at the gate and taken off the total amount before you pay.

Potential hazards on your property

Asbestos

If asbestos-containing materials have been burnt on your property or you are uncertain, we strongly advise that you organise for a licensed asbestos removalist to do the clean-up work. There have been reports of exposed asbestos in damaged properties. Asbestos can cause cancer and chronic respiratory diseases after any asbestos fibres are inhaled or ingested. There is no safe level for asbestos. For more information go to the health.vic website

Other hazards

Ash: Ash particles may still be present in your home, even after the smoke has gone. Avoid stirring up ash and dust as much as possible. More info: EPA website

Fire retardant: Fire fighting efforts may have resulted in flame retardant and other slippery materials in and around your property. Tread carefully and be mindful of the ground conditions. More info: EPA website

Firewater run-off: During a fire, large volumes of water, either on its own or mixed with foams or fire retardants, can be used to put the fire out. Often, this firewater can find its way to local waterways and impact the water quality. View the fact sheet on the EPA website

Septic tank: If you have a septic tank, remember it may have been weakened in the fire so do not drive or walk over it.

Demolition and rebuilding

Demolition of fire-damaged buildings

If you have been issued with an order from Council to demolish, you do not need a permit to do this.

If your clean-up contractor advises that a structure needs to be demolished, please contact Council on 1300 787 624 and we will process this quickly for you.

Rebuilding after the fires

Council will not charge planning permit application or advertising fees to rebuild structures destroyed by the fires, although you will still need to lodge an application and provide the required documentation.

The Victorian Government introduced an exemption in planning schemes for people affected by the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009, exempting them from needing a planning permit to rebuild. At this stage, we have not been advised by the Victorian Government if a similar exemption will be granted for property owners impacted by the Bunyip State Park bushfires. We will update this information once we receive advice from the Victorian Government.

Enquiries about stamp duty concessions for impacted property owners

The Victorian Government has advised that there are no specific measures in the Duties Act 2000 that relate to bushfires or natural disaster, however you are encouraged to directly raise your circumstances with the State Revenue Office (13 21 61) or visit the State Revenue Office website

Rates revaluations and payments

Revaluations of affected properties

Properties that experienced building losses in the bushfires are being revalued in order to reduce the amount of rates to be paid, and thus provide some relief. Council is doing these supplementary valuations to ensure that the amount of rates being paid reflects the actual current condition of the property, rather than its condition prior to the fires. We assure you that by doing this we are not ‘devaluing the property’, but instead adjusting the valuation to remove values attached to improvements to the land which, unfortunately, are no longer there.

Affected properties will receive a supplementary valuation and rate notice in the coming weeks. This notice will include the amended valuations, adjusted rates and charges and the new total owing. The next rates instalment notice, to be issued in May, will be adjusted according to the revaluation.

Concerns about your repayments?

If you have any concerns or questions about your rates payments, please contact Council on 1300 787 624

Videos

After the 2009 bushfires the Port Phillip and Westernport CMA prepared several YouTube bushfire recovery videos that include interviews with land management experts and people impacted by the fires about the steps they took to help their properties and the environment recover.

Parks and reserves closed due to the bushfires

Bunyip State Park closed

Parks Victoria advises that Bunyip State Park is closed. All roads and tracks within the Bunyip State Park are closed until further notice.

EmergencyVic advises that heavy machinery and fire trucks are still working in Bunyip State Park. It is unsafe to enter the park. Police are actively patrolling the area.

DEWLP Wildlife Officers are actively monitoring a number of fire affected animals in Bunyip State Park. Please do not try to feed or approach injured animals. To report injured wildlife call 5960 7100

Mt Cannibal Reserve closed

Mt Cannibal Reserve in Garfield North is likely to be closed until later in 2019 while track restoration works are done, as a result of the fires. Please do not enter the reserve as it is not safe to do so.

How the environment will recover after these bushfires

Natural regeneration of the land starts to happen within days of a fire. Our landscape has evolved with fire; just how soon and exactly how it recovers depends on a variety of factors including how intense the fire was and whether the soil is disturbed or left alone after the fire.

Donations, volunteering and other offers of help for bushfire-affected community

Donations of goods

While your offers are much appreciated, please do not drop goods to the recovery centre at Tonimbuk Hall.

Help with fixing or replacing fencing

BlazeAid is organsing volunteers to assist farmers in fixing or replacing fencing. For more ifnfo on volunteering or asking for assistance see the information under the Fencing section on this page.

To other organisations helping with fencing: BlazeAid have a list of properties needing fencing work done. All work done by other organisations is greatly appreciated, however BlazeAid ask that you contact them if your organisation is going to take care of fencing for a property so BlazeAid can remove the property from their list.

Donate to the Casey Cardinia Foundation bushfire relief fund

A relief fund has been set up by the Casey Cardinia Foundation to support community members affected by the bushfires in and around the Bunyip State Park.

Donate to the Community Relief Fund

Emergency Management Victoria has partnered with Bendigo Bank to establish a community relief fund to support people affected by the bushfires in south east Victoria. Donations can be made at any Bendigo Bank branch or online.

Medical advice

See your doctor, local community health centre or call Nurse on Call on 1300 606 024. Nurse on Call offers expert medical advice from a registered nurse, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the cost of a local call.